Here is the ultimate vehicle for anyone with paranoia. The Mercedes-Maybach 2017 S600 Pullman Guard. Fearing for your life and have a couple million dollars to spare? The Mercedes-Maybach Pullman Guard is exactly what you need.
The Mercedes-Maybach Pullman Guard is 6.5 meters long so it will be a bit of a squeeze getting it in your car port, but this is the vehicle if you want safety and style.
Measuring 6.5 meters long and weighing in at 5.6 tonnes, the S600 Pullman Guard is equipped with special steel and aramid components in the bodywork and underbody as well as bulletproof glass to protect its occupants against anything up to a small militia, so should have a ready market in South America.
Officially, the vehicle is rated VR9 for ballistic protection, the highest rating a car can achieve. It also passes ERV 2010 for blast protection, the current standard enforced in Europe.
Despite all this extra armor, the car just looks like any other Mercedes-Maybach (pronounced “My Bach” by the way) and has the identical volume of interior room.
This is no commuter car, but it is definitely a chauffeur-driven limousine seating up to four rear occupants in lavish style, with leather upholstery throughout, massive legroom thanks to the inward-facing seating layout, adjustable seats that feature calf rests, head restraints with extra cushions and increased headroom over the regular S-Class, and an electronically operated partition wall.
It also has an electronically assisted door-opening and closing function, as the extra weight in the body caused by the armor can make entering and exiting the vehicle a chore for VIPs who do not find the time to go to the nearest gymnasium.
Powering the five and a half tonne monster is Mercedes’ 6.0 liter twin turbo V12, which propels the limo to an electronically limited top speed of 160 km/h thanks to its formidable power output of 390 kW/830 Nm.
All this safety and mobile reassurance does not come cheaply, with Mercedes-Benz listing the armored limo at just under €1.4 million (54 million THB). However, if all you want is the looks, you can order one without the protection for a relatively paltry €500,000 (20 million THB).
Mercedes says the Pullman will be highly customizable, and can be equipped with crowd control devices such as sirens, flashing lights, two-way radios, an emergency starter battery and a loudspeaker/microphone external communication system.
Daimler board member responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars sales and marketing Ola Kallenius said that the Pullman Guard was the pinnacle of VIP transport.
“Besides providing spacious seating in first-class comfort for high-ranking passengers, the Mercedes-Maybach Pullman is of course the embodiment of exclusivity at its highest level,” he said.
At the other end of the Mercedes-Benz garage is the Smart Car, which comes with a panic handle for the passenger to grip in the case of an accident. Screaming and hitting the driver does assist in lowering panic levels, so they tell me.
